I keep having conversations about work-life balance. This concept is fascinating to me, now more than ever, and I love hearing others define it for themselves and their families.
I have heard everything from:
- “Work-life balance means you work hard and you play hard, too.”
- “It’s like being all in at work and still being able to be all in at home.”
- “I am searching for work-life balance.”
Do you believe in a work-life balance?
I don’t. Especially when we think of a measuring scale that can be completely balanced. The last time you stepped on a scale with the bars (the ones typically in doctors’ offices, called eye-level beam scales). Were you able to keep it still? I have not found a way to keep the scale still. Similarly, life is a constant balancing act and always changing, so what good would a static definition be for a dynamic life?
My definition of work-life balance is really a picture in my mind of a tightrope walker. They are up there; the risk is great, but the reward of getting it right is worth the rush and the thrill of trying. To the onlookers, the walker seems to be completely still, static even. However, if you look closer, they are constantly moving. Twitching, in fact. They are working extremely hard to keep their entire body from moving too far to one side. That is my definition of work-life balance. It is doing everything you can to not tilt too far to one side or the other.
Working hard and getting joy out of being a contributor to something bigger is rewarding, and it does not have to be at the detriment of your family. You can love your family AND love your work. You can have it all, in the individual moments and minutes of your life. Each day you have 1,440 minutes. Having it all means finding the dynamic balance that allows you to switch between work and family, and between family and work. The fast-switching—twitching, if you like—is similar to the tight-rope walker’s foot. The muscles in his foot are moving so fast back and forth he looks like he is still when he is balancing.
Perhaps the elusive work-life balance should be work-life balancing to indicate constant motion that your life is in and how it is necessary to continue to monitor and adjust to ensure your weight is equally distributed. On the days when more of your minutes are devoted to working, it’s okay, so don’t beat yourself up about it. Whether today is work and life or life and work, seize the moments to find and share love, regardless, and enjoy every second!
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A version of this article was previously published on LinkedIn.
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